The Fuel Cell: Hydrogen Refueling Station

The fuel refueling station is to is fuel cell vehicle what is a gas station to the traditional fuel-consuming cars and a charging station to new energy electric vehicle, which is an essential cornerstone for the development of fuel cell vehicle industrialization.

The commercialization of fuel cell vehicles is inseparable from the construction of infrastructure facilities for hydrogen refueling stations. Without the participation of complete hydrogen refueling station infrastructure, fuel cell vehicles lack an energy supply system, and large-scale applications are difficult to achieve. Under the main theme of energy reduction and the development of clean energy, fuel cells have become a sector for accelerating the deployment of various countries. Hydrogen refueling stations are a key factor in the industrial development of this sector. The construction of hydrogen refueling stations has become one of the measures of the national development strategy.

Hydrogen Refueling Stations in Europe, The US, And Japan Have Entered the Stage of Accelerated Deployment

By the end of 2019, there were 493 hydrogen refueling stations worldwide, of which 239 hydrogen refueling stations are located in Asia, with 114 in Japan, ranking first in the world, 61 in China, and 33 in South Korea, and 177 hydrogen refueling stations lies in Europe, with 87 in Germany, 26 in France which has 34 planned hydrogen refueling stations. The number of hydrogen refueling stations in North America has reached 74, most of which are located in California.

Judging from the development of various countries, the commercialization process of hydrogen energy utilization in Japan and Europe is relatively fast, and Japan is the most active country in the development of hydrogen energy in the world.

Europe is an important market for the construction of global hydrogen refueling stations. In 2008, the European Union established the FHC JU, which is committed to introducing advanced hydrogen energy and fuel cell technology into Europe. In February 2019, the organization's plan document issued a development blueprint for hydrogen energy in Europe in the next 30 years, which was supported by 17 hydrogen energy companies and organizations. From the construction and planning of hydrogen refueling stations in Europe from 2015 to 2020, the construction of hydrogen refueling stations which has received great is in a stage of accelerated development.

The main reasons why there are far more hydrogen refueling stations in California than that in other states in the US are the construction cost of hydrogen refueling stations and the development of other alternative energy sources. The construction cost of hydrogen refueling stations is high. As hydrogen energy has not yet formed large-scale applications, its cost advantage has not yet appeared, thus, the early stage of hydrogen refueling station construction usually requires a large amount of government funding. Besides, since the US has the shale gas revolution in recent years, the production of natural gas has increased substantially, with lower prices, and the penetration of other clean energy has hindered the application of hydrogen energy. The California Fuel Cell Alliance has proposed the goal of building 1,000 hydrogen refueling stations and reaching 1 million fuel cell vehicles by 2023.

In general, the construction of hydrogen refueling stations in Europe, the US, and Japan are in a stage of rapid development, in which there is a competition among various countries. The construction of hydrogen refueling stations in the early stage is mainly driven by regulations and policies, and social capital is used as an auxiliary to promote the growth of the hydrogen energy industry.

Policy Benefits Continue to Be Released, and the Construction of the of Hydrogen Refueling Station Has Accelerated

The subsidy plan issued by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Development and Reform Commission on December 30, 2016, stipulates that except for fuel cell vehicles, the central and local subsidy standards and upper limits for various models between 2019 and 2020 will be reduced by 20%. The subsidy for fuel cell vehicles will continue until 2020, in which a subsidy of 200,000 yuan will be given for each fuel cell passenger car, 300,000 yuan for fuel cell minivans and buses, and 500,000 yuan for medium-sized bus and mid-heavy trucks.

In 2019, 30 hydrogen refueling stations were built in China, an increase of 100% year-on-year. There is a total of 61 hydrogen refueling stations built from 2006 to 2019.

This achievement is close to the short-term planning goal of the domestic planning objectives of the short term, that is, by 2020, China plans to have 5,000 fuel cell vehicles and at least 100 hydrogen refueling stations. Besides, we keep full confidence in achieving the long-term goals, that is, by 2025, it is planned that the scale of fuel cell vehicles will reach 50,000 and at least 300 hydrogen refueling stations will be built; by 2030, the large-scale promotion and application of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be realized, with above 1 million hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

At this stage, domestic fuel cell vehicles are mainly used in the commercial vehicle market, in which the main reason restricting the promotion of fuel cell vehicles in passenger vehicles is the insufficient infrastructure of hydrogen refueling stations. And it is not difficult to find that the construction of domestic hydrogen refueling stations is relatively lagging behind the development of the new energy automobile industry. As the infrastructure of fuel cell, hydrogen refueling stations are still unable to fully meet the requirements of the commercial application of fuel cell vehicles, which restricts the process of large-scale application of fuel cell vehicles. Therefore, we should improve the development of upstream and downstream industrial chain links of hydrogen refueling stations to accelerate the construction of hydrogen refueling stations.

Hydrogen energy can effectively improve the current situation of the energy structure. Compared with traditional fossil energy, hydrogen energy is highly efficient and environmentally friendly, effectively alleviating environmental pollution caused by traditional fossil fuels. Therefore, the construction of hydrogen refueling stations is one of the strategic measures to adjust the energy structure. Although the current hydrogen energy industry is inseparable from government encouragement and support, and it will take time for large-scale applications, which is an area worthy of long-term attention.

Custom Reporting
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